244: Saratoga

From the Record:

“Area commemorates 244th anniversary of Battles of Saratoga”

(A cannon is fired by historical reenactors of the 2nd Continental Artillery during a ceremony commemorating the Battles of Saratoga on Monday morning at Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville.)

Local community members commemorated the Battles of Saratoga during a special ceremony on Monday morning, while some history-lovers are already looking forward to 250th anniversary of the American War for Independence in 2025. Schoolchildren, historical reenactors and government leaders gathered in Schuylerville’s Fort Hardy Park on Monday to mark the 244th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga surrender with cannons, patriotic speeches, wreath-laying, reenactments and the traditional 13 toasts. “Through education, interpretation and preservation, it is our responsibility to make sure this history lives on,” keynote speaker Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts told eventgoers at the ceremony. One group of local historians called the “America 250!” committee is doing exactly that regarding the upcoming United States Semiquincentennial.

(An American flag is raised during a ceremony commemorating the Battles of Saratoga on Monday morning at Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville.)

In August 2021, this committee was appointed by Saratoga County History Center president Jere Blackwelder to work with other agencies and associations to celebrate American independence and educate the public on Saratoga County’s special place in that history. The committee will work with the Saratoga County 250th Anniversary Commission, the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission, and the America250 Foundation U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. A plethora of exhibits, public events, and family-friendly activities are already in the works. The History Center committee includes Sean Kelleher, Chair and History Center Vice President; Anne Clothier, History Center Education Director; Paul Supley, Reenactor and Historic Presenter; Sara Kipp, Director, Stillwater Public Library; Jim Richmond, Author and Founder of the Saratoga County History Roundtable; and Marie Frankson, Author.  Two student interns from Siena College’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution are also involved with the project. The center is scheduled to host three events in the coming weeks, and another in December, to help share the history of Saratoga County and its role in the American Revolution with the public. A presentation called “My Zeal and Cause for My Country: Benedict Arnold in 1777” will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21 virtually via Zoom by Eric Schnitzer, military historian and park ranger at Saratoga National Historical Park. This is part of a popular event series called  Experts Next Door. Registration is available online. A book launch event for Saratoga County Stories is set for 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Brookside Museum, located at 6 Charlton St. in Ballston Spa.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the contributing authors and editorial team of Saratoga County Stories, a collection of essays and articles from local historians that includes several pieces on the Revolutionary era. Guests can also purchase copies of the book and have them signed by authors. Local historian Marie Danielle Annette Williams, author of The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks: Raids in the Wilderness, will lead a program titled “The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Brookside Museum. Her book, which describes the British and Loyalist raids that took place in upstate New York after British General Burgoyne’s 1777 campaign, will also be available for purchase and signing. Later this year, folks can virtually attend “Jane McCrea: A Revolutionary Martyr and an Early American Family Story” with Blake Grindon at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14 via Zoom. Grindon, a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, will explore and examine the life and legacy of Jean McCrea. Best remembered as the focus of anti-Indian and anti-British Patriot propaganda that followed her death during the Saratoga Campaign in 1777, further investigation reveals her role in an interconnected world of colonial wars and Native politics stretching back long before the American Revolution.

^ I have always liked the Saratoga Battlefield and enjoy seeing any new events or programs related to the Battle. ^

https://www.troyrecord.com/2021/10/18/area-commemorates-244th-anniversary-battles-of-saratoga/